Page 6 of The Alpha's Lunar Crown

I'm frozen on the spot, staring at him like I have just seen a ghost, while he maintains his calm exterior like he didn't just ask me to live the rest of my life like a skeleton in his gold-encrusted wardrobe.Realization slowly seeps through the fog of pain, clouding my senses, bringing with it a clarity I have never possessed. At no point in his statement did he leave room for me to give an answer. No question was asked. No request was made—nothing. He said it with the same tone you'd tell a chef to bring your food, and it was the most natural thing and required little to no effort on his part to convince me. He is certain I'll take the offer, and like any good chef, I'll come through with exactly what he needs.No bargains, no negotiations. Just him telling me what is best for us and knowing I'll accept it like I've done in the past.

A wishful part of me wants to fight against the truth in front of me. I want to believe I heard him wrong. Even more, I want to believe that I got the wrong message from him and that the way I am feeling is the result of miscommunication and not him dismissing my emotions like a minor inconvenience. But with one look at his perfectly sculpted face and piercing blue eyes, I know he meant every word he said, and even worse, he stands by them.

"You want me to be your mistress," I finally say, removing myself from his orbit. "You want me to be your mistress, Lucien?"

I let out a humorless laugh, completely in awe at the universe's sense of humor. Lucien looks worried and tries to take a step closer, but I stop him with a look."You sound like you have it all figured out."

"Aurora—"I lift a finger, cutting him short. "Was this always the plan? Fill me up with promises of a future together and toss me to the side with even more promises.""Aurora, you're getting it all wrong. If you would just calm down and be less emotional and more sensible, you'll see that this is best for us. We get to have each other without having expectations hanging on our shoulders. We'll be each other's safe space away from the pressure of the rules we will be forced to play. It will be heaven.""Woah." It's the only sound I can muster as I watch him. His calm exterior finally breaks and a mix of frustration and desperation spills through the cracks, but it disappears at the same speed it appeared, restoring the sterile calm."Say you'll think about it, at least. I didn't plan for this conversation to go this way.""Of course you didn't." My voice grows louder, but I'm too angry to care. I spent three years of my life clinging to his every word, changing plans and tailoring my future to fit into his, only to be reduced to the position of a whore on the side."Let me guess, you expected me to throw a little tantrum, but when you present your perfect plan, I will calm down and go along with it like a good girl, and you will win both sides? Or wait, I have something even better. I pledge myself eternally to you as your perfect heaven on the side, and you go on to live the best life with your wife while I watch from the sidelines, grappling for whatever scraps you throw at me. Is that really the life you want for me?"

My eyes are blazing, and my vision is blurred by both tears and rage. He averts his gaze, sealing them to the floor. He gives no reply, and he does not look at me. I got my answer.

"Three years, Lucien. Three years of completely devoting my life to you and hanging on to your promises, and you offer me the position of your private whore."

He opens his mouth to talk, but I don't let him. "It's been a funny couple of days, you know," a dry chuckle escapes my lips as the events trickle into my brain. "Tell me, is it all part of the plan? Get me humiliated in the company before sending Daddy to slap a check in my face? You didn't have the balls to do it yourself, so you had to devise other means?"

"Aurora…" he opens his mouth and closes it, worrying lines marking his confused expression. "I had no hand in what happened at the company, and," he pauses like the meaning behind my words just hit him. "My father offered you what?"If this were a few hours back, I would've fallen for his confused and lost expression, dismissed everything I'd heard, and clung to his words. But now, I know better. He just made me the same offer. He is just like them. Scratch that. He is worse.

"You know, when I applied for the position of the assistant finance officer and got offered the role of a janitor, it hurt like hell, but I was ready to take the pain if that is what it takes to be with you, and when your father promised me the most lavish lifestyle if I leave the pack, it hurt more, but even after hearing your conversation with Liam, I couldn't bring myself to trade you for money. It might be stupid, but a part of me hoped you'd come through with the perfect explanation. I trusted you, Luc. Down to the very end when I had no reason to." I feel a wet tickle on my cheeks, but I make no attempt to swipe it off or hide it. I am done putting up a strong front when I am practically falling apart on the inside."At least your father was decent enough to know that being in close range would hurt me and offered me a life outside the pack, but you," the words catch in my throat, and a pained sob slips from my lips. "You ask me to stay on the side like some dirty piece of trash and tend to the fire in your loins while you live your dream life with another woman."

Lucien opens his mouth and closes it again, his shoulders low and his eyes shining with something I refuse to acknowledge. He tries to come close again, but I shake my head, taking a step back. "Aurora, you're taking this the wrong way," he finally manages to say. "I think this all took a different turn. I'm sure we can fix it if we slow down a bit."

"I'm taking this the wrong way?" I do nothing to mask the disbelief I feel at his words. "You broke a promise you made to me, reduced me to a charity case before your friend, and I am taking it the wrong way?" He doesn't answer, and I shake my head. Now that I think of it, I've never seen a line of wrinkles on his face. He always looks so sure of himself, like he has cracked some secret code to life that only he knows. I used to mistake it for confidence, but now I see it for what it truly is. It's present in the way he carries himself around and the way he is currently looking at me like I am acting out of place. The high and mighty air of "I am better than you. I am better than everyone else, and I know what is best" swirls around him, mocking me and my emotions.

A pained smile plays on my lips as the final realization settles into me, taking with it every shred of hope I have been nursing. I can go on and on for years, cry a river and rip my heart open for him to see, and he'll still find a way to shove whatever he thinks is right down my throat. No regard for me or my breaking heart, just him and what serves him. "I deserve more than what you and everyone in this pack keep shoving down my throat."

Lucien's eyes briefly widen as if he is only just understanding the implications of his words, but that does nothing to make me feel better. He is who he is, and the interest of the pack and everyone else will always come before me.

Without another word, I race out of my house, feeling the bond between us weaken with every bit of distance I put between us. I don't look back. Instead, I forge ahead, channeling every bit of energy in me into pushing my body past its limit. Maybe if I run far enough, I might outrun whatever effect our bond has on me and possibly escape the clutches of the soul-numbing pain spreading through me.My muscles start to rage, my lungs are burning, and I'm damn well wheezing, but I still can't shift. I try, but my wolf only retreats into herself, the pain of it all too much for her to bear. I am left to deal with the human side of me, another reminder of how weak and inadequate I am—a disease, as Alpha Willams said. The universe really does have a way of laughing in your face and pouring salt into your injury till the very core of your existence is reduced to a mindless search for relief.Eventually, my legs give out, and I fall into a damp heap of rotting leaves and fallen branches. A loud cry forces its way out of my lips, scaring the birds and sending the squirrels running to safety. I remain there for a moment, straining my ears for a footstep or sign of life, but I'm blanketed by the deafening silence of the woods.

Lucien does not come after me. No one does. Then it dawns on me that I could die in these woods, be food for some predator, and no one would notice my absence. A vast majority of my existence was tied to Lucien and the role I was to play in his life, and with that gone, I am nothing. Just an orphan half-blood with a broken heart and scars to show for her pathetic existence. Where should I go?

CHAPTER FOUR

Lucien

"I just knew they were going to end up with each other. I remember always seeing them together when they were kids. Liam is there, too, but you could always tell he was the third wheel," Aaron Clarke, one of my father's close friends, says. The table erupts in laughter, mostly at Liam, while some of the women send Selene and me dreamy eyes like they were reliving their days of young love through us.

"I'll have to prove you wrong and protect my pride, Sir Aaron. I was never the third wheel. In fact, I was the fun one and only offered to take them under my wing to share some of my awesomeness." The men laughed again, and Aaron and Liam fell into a playful banter, with Aaron telling Liam he'll have to pick a mate after me.

The conversation at dinner is kept light and away from politics and like topics, mostly because of the women. It's something I'm greatly appreciative of as it means I have to speak very little and smile when necessary.

Selene, on the other hand, looks like she was raised for this moment. She knew the right words to say, the right answer to every question, and the right question to make her appear interesting without seeming dumb. I must commend the work of her parents. Her mother is practically glowing with pride.

"Son," Liam's father calls, "What do you think of my daughter? I know I did a great job, but I'd love to know if her future mate appreciates her."

My father let out an exaggerated groan, "Don't be ridiculous, Peter. What do you mean future mates? They're already mates. The ceremony is almost a month away and just a formality."

The others laugh again, but it's a short one as all attention returns to me, waiting for my answer.

I clear my throat, taking her hand in mine to make the moment more endearing. "Selene is a wonderful woman. I am constantly in awe of her, and I consider myself extremely lucky to call her mine." I shift my attention to the current beta. "You say you did a great job, sir, but I beg to differ. I think you outdid yourself with her. "Same goes to you, ma'am," I add, directing my words to his wife before turning to Liam. "And, of course, no thanks to you."

The table is a mix of awws and laughter. My father sends me a discrete nod of approval while Selene's lips tip in a discreet smile, but I catch it. She must be proud of herself for securing an alpha. It's what she was raised for.

Rora won't look so smug. I silence the voice in my head, choosing to focus on the task at hand. The last thing I need is some stupid voice comparing Selene to Aurora. Aurora is obviously prettier. She's only being a bit too stubborn right now.She's trying to teach me a lesson.

That's the only explanation.

Aurora is mad, furious even, but she's not really gone. She would never leave me, not like this.

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